English teachers fail to make the grade

A regulation stipulating that English language teachers must achieve
required scores on international English tests come into force with the
start of the new academic year, but many teachers are unable to meet the
new requirements.

According to the Ministry of Education and
Training, all English language teachers are required to score at least
550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam or 6.0 on
the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Teachers
whose scores do not make the grade would be required to improve their
skills and re-take the exam. Those who failed the exam twice would be
forced to quit their teaching jobs.

However, surveys carried out by the ministry revealed that few teachers have passed the exams.
In southern Ben Tre province, only 61 out of 700 English language teachers were able to achieve the required score.

In Hanoi , nearly 150 teachers from 90 primary schools took the
exams, but only 28, which accounted for 18 percent, passed.

About
500 teachers in southern Soc Trang province will take the exams next
month, and many said most would struggle to pass and need to take
short-term training courses to improve their skills.

Nguyen Thu
Nga, an English language teacher at Le Loi Secondary School in Soc Trang
province, said many teachers in the area could adequately teach reading
and writing skills, but struggled with listening and speaking skills,
which were also tested in the exams.

"We (teachers) live in rural
areas and have little chance of improving our listening and speaking
skills," said Nga. "To be good at speaking and listening, you need to
practise a lot."

Nguyen Hoai Chuong, deputy director of the HCM
City Department of Education and Training, said improving the English
skills of teachers was not an easy task and required a long time.

Chuong said it would take until 2020 for teachers to achieve the
required scores. He said the department would develop plans to improve
the English skills of teachers who failed the exams and want to continue
their jobs. /.